Day 13: Helsinki

We left the hotel in Tallinn, by taxi, to go to the ferry port. Today we were going to Helsinki, the last port of call on this tour.The ferry was huge with over eight levels. Vadim had booked a room so that we could store our luggage there and be free to wander around.The crossing from Estonia to Finland took a couple of hours. The sun was shining so we sat on the sun deck enjoying the warm weather and one anothers company. Tonight would be our last night on the tour and in the morning we will all be leaving for different parts of the world. However M and I decided we would spend a few days in Helsinki.

Once we had checked into the hotel we took a tram into the town where Vadim showed us around. He explained where we could purchase 1 or 2 day passes for the tram which is an important piece of information. In fact the 2 day pass at £12 was great value as we took numerous journeys on public transport over the next couple of days. This is the Cathedral in Senate Square, the main square in Helsinki. The Square was created after Sweden's defeat in 1809 when Helsinki became the new capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland.






Time for a final group photo. The man at the front is Vadim, our excellent group leader.

This is the rock church, one of Helsinki's more famous tourist attractions. It was quarried out of solid rock with the inner stone walls topped by a massive copper dome. Light is reflected inwards through 180 skylights. It opened amidst controversy in 1969 but has won over many of its critics.

M and I wandered back to the hotel passing this Lutheran church at the top of the hill.  Built in art deco style it reminded me of the Empire State Building in New York.

In the evening we all met up for a final meal in a restaurant close to the hotel. The restaurant claimed that this was where Lenin used to visit and plan the revolution. It was a lovely meal and an opportunity to thank Vadim for being such a great tour leader. The youngest of the group also spoke as this was the first Gadventure trip he had been on and felt very much a part of the group despite his young age (18). It was an emotional goodbye from everyone. Some were returning home to Canada and the USA. Others were going on to Russia, the Ukraine or Poland. It was sad to think the tour was over. In the morning M and myself would be moving to a different hotel in another part of Helsinki.